Beyond the Portal II: Flames of War

by Firestar463

Chapter 24

As the third song ended, Kyle and Twilight finally made their way off of the dance floor. The second dance had been just as enjoyable as the first, and so had the third. But by now, they were both read in the face, and Kyle felt a bead of sweat run down the back of his neck. So it was that they decided that they needed at least a brief rest from the dance floor. They made their way through the crowds towards their table and sat down.

For a while, neither of them spoke. Their faces slowly began to return to their normal colors, the redness fading away. Their eyes wandered around the room, glancing at each other on occasion. Twice, Twilight opened her mouth as if to speak, but quickly closed it again.

Finally, it was Kyle who broke the silence. He met Twilight’s eyes again and smiled. “That… wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared,” he admitted.

“It was fun,” Twilight agreed, to which Kyle nodded. “It looks like this year’s gala isn’t going to be quite as crazy as last year.”

“I still can’t believe all of that really happened,” Kyle chuckled. “Without Discord being involved, no less. Did Fluttershy really -”

“Yes.” Twilight shuddered visibly. “Let’s… we don’t speak of that. I know Rarity still wakes up in a cold sweat from nightmares about that.”

Twilight’s eyes suddenly shifted from Kyle’s to something behind him. She tilted her head and leaned to the side to look past him. Kyle turned his head as well to see what she was looking at. Near one of the corners of the dance floor, Cadence was looking directly at Twilight, waving her hoof and motioning at her.

Kyle looked back at Twilight, who was still staring at Cadence. “I think she wants to talk to you,” he commented. Twilight looked back at him as he continued. “You go see what she wants. I’ll go get us some drinks.”

“A cider for me, please.”

Kyle gave Twilight a thumbs-up, and the two slid out of their seats once again. Twilight moved past Kyle towards Cadence, while Kyle turned towards the circular area on the side of the room, moving towards the central stained-glass window. He carefully slid past the Ponies in his way, and soon he found himself looking at a long table covered in white cloth. Numerous bowls and glasses were laid out on it, with the bowls containing liquids of various colors.

Kyle ignored the bowls and moved down towards the end of the table, where a decent-sized line had begun to form. There, a light-green stallion was standing beside a keg of cider, managing the tap and handing filled glasses to the Ponies waiting in line. Kyle moved past the line to take his place at the end.

Almost immediately, a second Pony moved into line behind him - a dark blue Pegasus mare. The line moved up, and Kyle took a step forward. Judging by the size of the line, he was going to be waiting here a while.

“Enjoying the evening, Mr. Slater?”

Kyle jumped as a feminine voice spoke up right next to his ear. He spun around to see the Pegasus mare grinning at him. Kyle looked around quickly, finding that there was no one else around. “I… I’m sorry, do I know you?” he asked.

The mare’s smile only grew bigger. “Certainly.”

Kyle was beginning to grow uneasy. Not once since he had spun around had the mare’s eyes left him. He couldn’t even say for certain that she had blinked. “Care to… jog my memory?” he asked.

“Do not trust your eyes commander, for they can be deceived.” The mare glanced over her shoulder quickly before leaning in closer, her voice only a whisper. “I am not who I seem.”

Kyle’s eyes flashed with recognition. “Yxia?”

The mare’s grin returned. “Who else?” she chuckled. “It took you long enough.”

Kyle glanced over his shoulder as well. The Ponies in front of him in line didn’t seem to have noticed their conversation, so he returned his attention to Yxia. “Are you out of your mind?” he hissed. “What are you doing here?”

“Enjoying the evening,” She replied, unfazed by Kyle’s reaction. “Just as you are.”

“Do you have any idea how big of a risk you’re taking by coming here?” Kyle demanded. “Need I remind you about the last time a -” He glanced over his shoulder again before leaning in closer. “ - a Changeling showed up at a big Equestrian event?”

“Chrysalis was a fool. We have already made this perfectly clear,” Yxia replied. “I am no fool. I will not be found.”

“Chrysalis never intended to be found either.”

“But she did intend to cause trouble.” Yxia tapped her chest with her hoof. “I, on the other hoof, intend no such thing. There will be no reason to suspect that Sapphire Sky is anypony other than who she says she is.”

Kyle sighed and shook his head. “I still say you’re insane for coming here,” he growled. “But whatever. If you get caught, it’s not my fault or my problem.”

“That’s a good way to look at it,” Yxia nodded. “Now, let us move on. How fare things in Equestria? Have you any more information regarding the outpost we discovered?”

“Shhhh!” Kyle glanced around quickly, only returning his attention to Yxia when he was certain no one else had heard her. “That’s sensitive information right there,” he hissed quietly. “I can’t talk about it here in the open, and honestly I need some time for it to sink in. I’ll send an envoy with a letter in the next day or two to Hive Regali.”

Yxia raised an eyebrow, but did not object. “Fair enough,” she shrugged. “And what of you? Are you well?”

“Better than I thought I’d be at this point,” Kyle admitted. “I thought the dance was going to be a lot worse than it actually was.”

“Ah yes. I do recall hearing your name earlier. Dancing with Princess Twilight, if I’m not mistaken?” Kyle nodded in confirmation. “Well I am glad to see that you survived it seemingly unscathed.”

At that moment, Kyle reached the front of the line, and he turned to take the two mugs from the Pony stationed at the keg. He said his farewells to Yxia and began to make his way over towards their table. It was still unoccupied as he approached it. Twilight, it would seem, was still busy with Cadence.

On the way, Kylee couldn’t help but notice that, unlike just about everyone else who had mentioned him and Twilight that evening, Yxia had not asked about the status of their relationship. “Then again, she can sense love,” Kyle thought as he sat down at the table. “She can tell there’s nothing going on.” He turned his head just in time to see Yxia moving away through the crowds. As if on cue, she turned and locked eyes with him. Even from that distance, he could see the faintest of smirks curving her lips.

“Light… even her…” he grumbled quietly.

“Oh come now, why so serious?”

Kyle’s head whipped around in the other direction. What was it with Ponies sneaking up on him today? This time it was an elderly tan Unicorn stallion - or at least, Kyle assumed he was elderly, judging by his snow-white hair, goatee, and overly-bushy eyebrows. But his face seemed devoid of the wrinkles that old age tended to bring, and his eyes were bright and shiny with almost youthful energy. His cutie mark, Kyle noted, was exposed, unlike most of the other Ponies in the room - a grey, swirling whirlwind. “Can I help you?” he said cautiously.

“Oh most certainly, commander.” Already Kyle wasn’t liking this stallion. The high-pitched, almost nasally voice, the odd look in his eyes… He almost seemed to sneer as he dragged out Kyle’s title. “You see, I’m rather bored here at this little get-together, and I’m looking for somepony to entertain me.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to find someone else,” Kyle snorted. He turned his head away from the stallion towards the other side of the table, intending to end the conversation.

What he didn’t expect was to see the stallion already there, already staring at him. “Oh come now, is that any way to treat an old friend?” he demanded. “One whom you’ve neglected to so much as acknowledge for nearly a month now?”

Kyle snorted again. Enough of this. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“Perhaps this can spark your memory?” The stallion raised his hoof and snapped it - “Wait what?! How did he -” and the stallion’s facial features suddenly changed. His eyes changed to yellow with red pupils, one became bigger than the other, one of his teeth elongated into a fang, and from the top of his mane, Kyle could see two small, mis-matched horns - one of a deer, and one of a goat - protruding from his head.

Kyle drew back slightly as the stallion grinned. Another snap of his hoof, and his facial features returned to their previous, normal state. “Well?” he insisted.

“Discord.”

“And we have a winner, fillies and gentlecolts!” In the distance, Kyle swore he heard a party horn going off. “So come now, Kyle,” the Pony-Discord leaned in and wrapped one hoof around Kyle’s shoulders. “Why have you been ignoring your old pal Discord, hm? What happened to what we once had?” He shook Kyle’s shoulders lightly. “I thought we had something special! I thought were friends!”

“News to me,” Kyle muttered

“What was that?”

“I said I figured you’d still be upset at me. You know, after I broke your jaw? I thought you’d still be bitter.”

“Bitter? Me?” Discord drew away and pressed one hoof to his chest in feigned astonishment. “Just because you couldn’t handle a simple prank? Just because you decided the best action to relieve your stress was physical violence?” Steam began to float away from his ears, and he began to glare. “Just because you broke my jaw and threw me right at that Tatzlwurm to be sneezed upon and made actually sick for TWO WHOLE WEEKS?!” By now, Discord was red in the face and leaning in close towards Kyle, who refused to budge.

And then, it was all over. The steam stopped, Discord’s face returned to normal, he leaned back, and a smile replaced his glare as he closed his eyes. “No, I’m not bitter,” he chuckled. “When you get frozen in stone for a couple of millennia, you learn to stop holding grudges. Let bygones be bygones, I say.”

“Right…”

“So, where did your pretty purple Pony princess run off to?” Discord asked as he glanced around. “Did… did you get stood up?” he whispered.

Kyle glared at the Pony-Draconequus. “No. Princess Cadence called her away for something,” he replied curtly. He turned his head away yet again, hoping to end the conversation. Discord was certainly one of the last beings Kyle wished to see at that moment.

At that moment, the orchestra began a new song - much slower paced than the previous one had been. Elegant, precise, not nearly as energetic as the one before. “Bleh,” Discord feign-gagged. “This music is really dragging me down.” He paused and sat up straight before nudging Kyle’s shoulder. “C’mon, let’s blow this joint,” he grinned. “Go find us some fun. Maybe a few pranks, stir up a little mild chaos, hm?”

Kyle sighed as he raised one hand to his temples. To be fair, now that he was off the dance floor, he had to admit that the party was a bit dull. But even so… “No, Discord,” he finally said. “I’m not going to help you wreck the Gala. Absolutely not.”

Discord’s smile instantly vanished. “Fine,” he shrugged. “Suit yourself. Miss out on all the fun.”

“And don’t even think of stirring up any trouble yourself,” Kyle warned as Discord took a step away.

Discord turned his head around and smirked up at Kyle. “Or what, Mr. Goody-two-shoes?” He sneered. “Going to break my jaw again?”

“Tempting. But no.” Kyle leaned forward in his seat towards Discord. “Just know that if any catastrophe happens tonight, I now can point to you as being the probable culprit to Princess Celestia. And then we might see if you’re a bit bitter after another thousand years or so as a lawn decoration.”

“Princess Celestia wouldn’t dare order the use of the elements against me for that!” Discord exclaimed. “After all, I’m reformed!”

“Ruining the annual celebration of the construction of Equestria’s capital doesn’t seem very ‘reformed’ to me.” Kyle countered. “You’re right. She probably wouldn’t. But why take that chance?” Kyle smiled ever so slightly as he saw a hint of uncertainty in Discord’s eyes. “But of course, it doesn’t have to come to that. I’d rather it didn’t. All you have to do is behave yourself for the rest of the night. I know it’s hard for you to act civilized, but just… keep the chaos for Ponyville, hm? They’re used to it, at least.”

“And that’s what takes all the fun out of it,” Discord pouted. Still, he seemed mollified for a moment as he raised one hoof to his chin. “I suppose, as a creature of Chaos, everypony would expect me to stir up some excitement here… so how better to be chaotic than to do nothing at all?”

Discord continued to murmur to himself as he walked away from the table, leaving Kyle alone. Kyle sighed in relief and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “Bloody Chaos Gods…” he muttered.

It wasn’t long before Kyle heard the sound of a chair moving cut through the noise of hundreds of hooves. He opened his eyes as Twilight hopped up in the chair opposite him. Her horn lit up, and the mug that Kyle had brought back for her rose from the table to her lips. Kyle had neglected his own drink, and so followed suit.

A moment later, they both placed their mugs back on the table. Kyle picked up a napkin and wiped some of the foam from his upper lip. “So, what Did Princess Cadence want?” he asked.

“She just… wanted to talk,” Twilight replied. She picked up Kyle’s napkin in her magical grasp and wiped away a small speck of foam that had dotted his nose. “We talked about it earlier, but the Crystal Empire is nearly rebuilt already. There’s still some cleanup needed on the southern end, and the stadiums for the Equestrian Games were damaged, but everything’s on track for the games to continue.”

“Yeah, I remember her talking about that earlier.” Kyle sat up straighter in his seat. “I’m still amazed at how quickly they repaired the damage,” he commented. “I mean, you and I both saw what the city was like when we took the Crystal Heart back. The southern half of the city was just… gone. How’d they do it?”

“Well they got a lot of help. Ponies from all over Equestria came to help rebuild, and we even got volunteers from the Minotaurs and the Griffonian Empire.” She glanced around before leaning in close, her voice just above a whisper. “We also may or may not have gotten some help from a couple of Changelings under Empress Yxia’s new Empire.”

“Speaking of which…” Kyle dropped his voice down as well. “Did you know Yxia is here tonight?”

“What?!”

“Yeah. Pretty much my reaction as well,” Kyle nodded as he and Twilight both leaned back in their seats. “She was in line behind me to get some cider. Disguised, of course, but she’s here.”

“Well… No. No I didn’t. Although… Princess Celestia did say that there would be a few surprise visitors. I guess Yxia would be one of them…” Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head. “At least it’s not Discord.”

Kyle remained silent, barely resisting the urge to laugh. It took a moment for Twilight to look up and lock eyes with him. “He’s here too, isn’t he?” she deadpanned.

“Yep.”

“Disguised as a Pony?”

“Yep.”

“Planning to cause trouble?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because it’s Discord.” Kyle gestured out to the crowd still milling about. “Anyone who knew he was here would expect him to stir up some trouble. So he’s apparently decided that the best way to cause chaos is to… well, do nothing.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And did you have something to do with this decision?”

“I might have,” Kyle smiled innocently.

“I won’t even ask,” Twilight sighed with smile as she shook her head.

At that moment, the orchestra changed songs yet again. This one, like the previous, was smooth and elegant, yet more bouncy and energetic. “Oh I love this one,” Twilight smiled.

“Are you up for another dance?”

“Absolutely.” Together, the pair rose from their table and joined the numerous couples moving out onto the dance floor.

---

As the orchestra stopped playing and the dance floor began to clear once again, Kyle and Twilight followed the mass of Ponies away from the center of the room. They made their way back towards their table, but rather than sitting down at it, the pair found themselves moving past it. They made their way through the crowds, past numerous other tables, and finally walked through one of the double doors leading out of the ballroom to the outside.

Here, they found themselves on a large, semi-circle balcony that hugged the crescent-shaped wall of the palace. A short guardrail was stationed along the open end of the balcony, and a pair of mirrored staircases at either end of the balcony curved downwards towards the palace grounds. Out on the grounds themselves, Kyle could see a few scattered Ponies here and there, all of them walking together in pairs.

A few other Ponies were out here on the balcony as well, enjoying the night sky. It was certainly the perfect evening to do so - the stars were visible as Kyle had never seen them before, the moon was bright and high in the sky, and from the north, a line of green-and-blue aurora lights curved and twisted through the night sky.

Kyle and Twilight both moved towards the left side of the balcony and made their way own the short staircase into the palace grounds. Here, the grounds were arranged very similarly to the park in Ponyville - long, curving sidewalks cutting through vast stretches of fields, scattered trees here and there, with the occasional bench placed along the sides of the paths. Kyle and Twilight turned down one of these paths and began to wander.

Soon, the sounds of the music had faded away, leaving them in near silence. All that could be heard were their own feet against the stone path, the sound of crickets chirping, the fluttering of wings as nocturnal birds soared the sky. It was so serene. So peaceful.

For a long while, the two walked in what seemed to be circles around the palace. They were content to not speak. Neither one wanted to break the comfortable silence. On occassion, they would pass another couple headed in the opposite direction. Often, they would hear the Ponies approaching before they were seen, and their voices seemed unnaturally loud as until they faded out of earshot once again.

As eleven o’clock approached, the balcony finally came back into sight once again. Kyle and Twilight ascended the stairs back up towards the ballroom, on the opposite side this time. The music was not playing, for as a glance through the open doors revealed, it seemed that the orchestra had stopped playing. The members were packing up their instruments, the dance floor had been cleared, and much of the greater ballroom was empty.

The balcony itself was likewise deserted, leaving Kyle and Twilight alone. Twilight moved over towards the balcony, and Kyle followed her over. He stopped next to her by the railing and leaned forward, resting his arms on the railing. For a while, they simply stood there, staring out over the now-empty gardens.

“Thanks for tonight,” Twilight’s voice cut into the silence. “It was fun.” There was a brief pause. “A big change from the last one. I had a good time with you.”

“So I’ve heard,” Kyle chuckled as he lowered his hands to his side. “Yeah, It was a good time, once the actual Gala started.”

At that moment, Kyle felt something soft and furry brush past his hand. He looked down to see what it was. His eyes went wide. It felt like history was repeating itself. For the second time, a Pony was nuzzling his hand. But this time, it wasn’t Lyra.

It was Twilight.

Kyle’s body froze as his mind began to process what he was seeing. Twilight was nuzzling him. Romantically. So she… So that’s why everyone… “How long?” he found himself wondering. “How long have I not noticed this? Am I really that bad at seeing the signs?”

Finally, Kyle’s body began to catch up with his mind. Twilight had stopped nuzzling him at this point, and was now looking up at him, with her chin resting just on top of his hand. Slowly, he looked down at her. Their eyes locked. Every part of his mind was telling him to pull his hand away. Telling him that he should feel incredibly uncomfortable with Twilight’s actions. After all, he had felt that way with Lyra. He should feel the same way now.

But to his shock, he didn’t.

Instead, he reached over to scratch her cheek.

That seemed to be the reaction Twilight had been hoping for. She grinned and leaned back in, nuzzling his hand further. Kyle swore he heard a catlike purr coming from her. His hand slowly moved from her cheek to near her left ear, and then to the top of her head. It was an almost mindless motion, mindless in that his attention was not focused on his actions. Instead, he was in the middle of an internal civil war.

On one side, Twilight was a Pony. A creature that Kyle had, for twenty-five years, considered to have no intelligence to speak of. Yes, Equestrian Ponies were far different from their Azerothian counterparts, but the physical resemblance was certainly there. It almost felt unnatural to have any feelings beyond friendship with a creature so physically dissimilar from him.

And on the other hand… he didn’t care.

That was the shocking part. That a part of him didn’t care that she was a Pony and not a Human or other biped. A surprisingly large part. After all, this wasn’t a Pony like the ones he had known in Azeroth. She, and the rest of Ponykind, was intelligent - very much so, on the same level as any other sentient race on Azeroth. So she wasn’t Human. So what? Humans had been known for years now to form relationships with Elves, Dwarves, even Draenei. It should be no different here.

And so it was that, when Kyle’s mind finally resolved its inner conflict and he snapped back to reality, he did not cease scratching Twilight’s head. Rather, he smiled slightly and continued to do so. And when he finally did stop and removed his hand from her head, Twilight moved in closer, pressing her side up against his leg. “Sweet Light, this feels weird,” Kyle thought as he looked down at her. “Not bad, but… odd.”

And it did. It felt odd, trying to reconcile part of his mind with what had just happened. And then there was the small voice in the back of his head, reminding him of the last time something like this had happened. “Lyra won’t be pleased about this,” it whispered. “And you won’t be able to hide it for long. Not when you’re now dating a Princess.”

The clock struck the hour, and eleven tolls echoed out across the city. As it did, Kyle and Twilight both turned to move back into the castle and up to their rooms for the evening. It almost felt normal. Almost. Twilight walked closer than before, Kyle’s hand brushed her side occasionally. Something had changed.

Dealing with Lyra’s reaction was going to be a problem. A huge problem. Kyle already knew this for certain. Not one that he’d have to deal with tonight, or tomorrow. But soon. And it wasn’t going to be as easy as his last encounter with her, of that he had no doubt. No, this was not going to be pleasant.

It could even mean the end of a friendship.

Kyle’s heart leaped into his throat at that thought. He glanced down quickly at the mare walking beside him. Was he willing to risk Lyra’s friendship for this? Was that a chance he was willing to take? “I can’t… I can’t think about that right now,” He finally decided. “I’ll take a look at it in the morning. Get some sleep, get some distance… Talk to Twilight about it. Maybe Cadence too. She’s got some expertise in this area. Yeah. I’ll talk to Cadence.”

“In the morning.”

Comments

[The Warrior Scholar]

Yes, an excellent chapter with all the bittersweet flavors of ships setting sail and hearts breaking. It will be interesting to see whether or not Lyra was part of the orchestra. Such potential drama.

[Greatmane]

So, satyrs or centaur? We know beings of Azeroth can make kids with anyone!

Dohoho.

[Marenteius]

This I did not see coming... nice surprise. Helps that, ad a follower of CHAOS!!! I enjoy a cross species romance.

[Starlight Nova]

6039442 What does the writing in your avatar say?

[Grahf]

6075128 Well Satyr's were elves that were corrupted by the fel legion and their magic.

[Greatmane]

6076583 and the centaur are the product of a keeper of the grove banging an earth elemental.

Azeroth.

[Frost Shield]

6076887

On that note, would something with the body of a centaur but the attitude/mind of a keeper or dryad (more or less the female keeper of the grove) be possible?

Also with the magic of both worlds, there is always the chance of of one of them being hit with at least a temporary spell that changes them to a more suitable form for such things.

[Greatmane]

6077040 yes. The end of desolace questing has the centaur tribes moving towards this.

And don't bring sensible uses of magic into this! This is Azeroth! And Equestria! We don't do sensible magics around these here parts!

[Frost Shield]

6077048

Who said anything about sensible? I just said a chance, as in maybe just that little bit of chaos someone decided to unleash. While some (Twilight/the other princesses/Jaina) might be more apt to use magic "sensibly" there are far too many others, and one draconequuis in particular, that would be more apt to do it by accident or on purpose for fun.

As Discord might say "what fun is there in being sensible?"

[The Twisted Shadow]

The Kyra ship shall never sink!!!

[TheArcticWolf]

The ship has sailed!!!!!!